


An Aftermath of Death.

by toadsinhats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 03:00:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toadsinhats/pseuds/toadsinhats
Summary: Harry is 16 years old, a thin boy with a strange scar and an odd personality. Strange as he is, it barely compares to the fact that he can barely remember anything.He's just bound to make mistakes.---------------------------------------I apologize for the lame summary, I don't want to give anything away. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. I have, and plan to continue doing so, put a lot of effort into this.| this is my first actual fanfic. |
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	An Aftermath of Death.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for being here. 
> 
> I'm just here to let you know that this is pretty much just an intro. It's meant to go by pretty fast, and the pacing also goes along with different ideas, so.
> 
> I have put *so much* effort and thought into the book idea, and of course, what I have written so far. I have everything planned out, so you can expect that this won't be abandoned or anything. If, for some reason, at some point I am unable to continue, I'll pass it onto a trusted friend. :). Updates might take a while sometimes (sorry!).
> 
> also, im so sorry - the number of chapters option isnt showing up, there'll be more than 1.  
> Without further adieu, here you are.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE was a talented student, top of his class, Slytherin prefect. He had friends — though sometimes it was tiring to put up with their constant childish behavior. Teachers liked him.

So as he sat in the Hogwarts Express with a few of his friends, for what felt like the hundredth time, he wasn’t worrying about anything unusual happening. This, of course, had to be denied. 

It all started with Cedrella Black. Cedrella was a curious girl, a second year, four years below him. Tom had seen her around a few times the past year, but now she sat in their compartment on the train as if she knew them well. She said something about just having a feeling she should sit there with them, and no one denied it. 

Cedrella seemed to just know things. Whether it was how long they had until they arrived without casting a single spell, what everyone was thinking, what they had done over the summer, or something as simple as the future weather or what they’d do in classes, she knew it all. Some things could’ve been told to her beforehand, but it didn’t seem that way.

When Tom spoke up about this, asking how she knew such things, her cousin — and one of his friends — Orion Black spoke for her, saying this wasn’t unusual for her, and began talking about something else. This only gave him more questions.  
That seemed to be the end of that. It wasn’t that unusual, just something he could think about later. It was more the air about her, he supposed, that was so odd. The way she did things, and talked, it all seemed so out of place. 

Either way, he set his thoughts aside and focused on his friends, agreeing to a few games of Wizards Chess with Marcus Avery, the closest of his companions.

For a time Tom forgot about the strange mood he was in, talking with his friends and such. It didn’t last long. The train paused, and the driver came to tell everyone that they’d be going again in a few minutes, and they were left with no further explanation.

“So,” Orion started, breaking the uncomfortable silence as they could always count on him to do, “does anyone want to play a game of Wizards Chess with me before we arrive?”

Marcus Avery raised his hand at Orion’s words. “Suppose I’ll play a game or two.”

And so, Tom found his head resting against the window and his eyes watching the two boys play their game, which turned into two, three, four.  
“Best eight out of ten?” Black asked, as he lost their fourth game.

Marcus scoffed, but said “you’re on” either way.

The next hour went rather normally. The games of Wizard Chess continued; Cedrella Black stayed silent except for her occasional comments on whatever was happening at the time; Tom was reading, playing chess, or watching them do so for said time.

That is until, not long before they were to stop, an odd boy with black hair and an unnatural scar on his forehead stumbled into their compartment. He was just about to say something, but Cedrella spoke for him.

“He’s wanting to sit with us. He’s very alone, see, his family and friends are dead….” She ended her sentence with a sad expression.

The boy stared at her strangely, then nodded with hesitation.

Orion took an immediate interest in him. “Of course you can sit, er… what’s your name?”

It looked as if he had to think to answer Black’s question. “I... Harry, uh... Harry…”

Cedrella, once again, spoke for him. “He can’t remember his full name yet. He’s just Harry for now.” She earned herself quite a few looks. She only smiled sweetly and continued. “He’s had some trauma recently, he can’t remember much.”

“I… yes, uh, thank you….”

“Cedrella Black. Pleasure.” 

They shook hands; Cedrella did so rather happily, Harry did so rather awkwardly.

“Nice to meet you, Harry,” Orion piped up, “you can sit by me, if you’d like.”

Harry did after a moment, and the boy next to him began introducing everyone.

“I’m Orion, Orion black, and you’ve already met Cedrella, this is Marcus Avery, and this here is Tom Riddle.”

Harry had been sitting calmly, it seemed, until Orion addressed Tom. He was quick to give Riddle a glare, adjusted in his seat, turned back to Orion and talked with him.

“Harry, d’you want to play Wizard’s Chess with me?” The game was quite a popular thing amongst them.

“Er... Sure.” It sounded like more of a question than an answer.

The Chess board was still set up from the games that had been played not long prior; Orion set up the pieces, which were still scattered about the board, and took his turn only after Harry weakly denied going first.

The raven haired boy seemed to come across much difficulty to move one of his pieces; his hand hovered over them, one at a time, and he’d occasionally bend his hand down as if he were about to take his turn, then his hand would turn back and the process continued.  
Orion was patient with him, smiling at him as he asked if he needed help or would want to wait and play later instead.

Harry seemed very persistent. “No, thank you… I’m not crazy — just — here,” he moved a piece to a nearby square, his hand shaking rather noticeably as he did so. 

“Actually, that piece--” Marcus, who had taken an interest, began, only to be silenced by Orion.

The game went on for a while, and it was quickly clear that Harry didn’t know what he was doing, and with that, everyone else quickly learned not to point it out; doing so would only heavily frustrate Harry and earn annoyance from Orion. 

“You know,” Tom spoke up for the first time since the boy had arrived, interrupting a very slow game, “I’d like to play with Harry once you’ve finished, Orion.”

“I don’t want to play with you, Tom.”

And almost exactly at his words, as if on cue, the train stopped. Everyone went for their luggage and Tom had close to no chance to reply; even if he would’ve said something now, it would feel awkward to do so, and he seriously doubted that Harry would carry on the conversation if he did.

He picked up his trunk, adjusted his collar, and followed Avery out.

“Harry’s quite interesting, isn’t he?”

“How so?” 

“Well,” Avery began, “He showed up out of nowhere, can’t properly remember his name, well actually he just seems confused in general, but you have to admit it’s strange. I just have a weird feeling about him, I suppose.”

Tom hummed in response. “I agree.”

The two walked with each other out of the train; Orion, Harry, and Cedrella walked ahead of them. Orion seemed to do most of the talking, Harry just walked along and nodded to his words, and Cedrella followed behind them with that dreamy air about her, looking around, taking everything in.  
The sun was already setting; a mist hung amongst the air, and despite how nice and comforting the weather had been earlier that day, any reasonable being would’ve been able to notice how cold the world seemed around them — how unsettling it now felt.

“Well, we’ll be in soon enough,” Orion said as Harry was looking up. Securing his words, they came to the entrance after a minute or so.

“I know, Harry,” Cedrella said, and if you would’ve just walked by you would’ve thought Harry had told her something, but he hadn’t, “it is quite odd. So familiar, yet unfamiliar….” 

The doors had already been opened, as they were far from being the first to enter, and the surrounding crowds poured in, carrying them along with.  
The warmth of the Great Hall immediately greeted them all. Even Harry, as out of it as he was, seemed to feel better.

Much to his dismay, Harry was immediately separated from the others. Tom couldn’t have cared less, only slightly pushed by the idea of knowing more about Harry.

Tom would occasionally just happen to glance in Harry’s way, and for a few minutes he, Harry, could be seen talking to their transfiguration professor, Albus Dumbledore, an old but talented man who believed in the good of people more than most.

He thought nothing of it: as far as he knew, this was Harry’s first time at Hogwarts. It wouldn’t be unusual for teachers to welcome him and start a conversation. Besides, the headmaster — Professor Dippet — was just beginning his usual start of the year speech; as bland as it was every year, it was far better entertainment than watching Harry was. 

The headmaster’s speech was a well enough distraction until Tom looked over to see Professor Dumbledore walking Harry to the Slytherin table. His eyebrows raised as the two came to stand a few feet in front of him.

“Tom, if you wouldn’t mind, Harry here will stay with you until the end of the feast. We’ll be talking to Harry, since his coming here was a very sudden thing and preparations will need to be made. He’ll be sorted then, as well; it’s easiest. Surely you understand.”

“Oh? Of course.” He wasn’t for the idea of the boy being with him, especially because of Harry’s seeming dislike towards him, but he wasn’t about to say so.

Dumbledore nodded, the usual smile across his lips, and walked back to sit with the other professors. 

Tom debated saying something, but when he caught the look on Harry’s face (it was clear he didn’t want to talk) he immediately decided against it, until Harry himself spoke.

“Tom... I... Tom’s an interesting name,” he mumbled, his brows furrowed and concentration filled his face. “I don’t know why.”

“I’m not sure what to say to that.”

“Yeah... Yeah. That’s okay, I wouldn’t either.”

“Mm.”  
They sat in silence for a few moments, then Orion finally realized that Harry was with them.

“Harry, you’re here! You didn’t get sorted into Slytherin, did you? I mean, it would be great if you did and all, I just didn’t expect for you to be--” Orion rambled, sitting down on the opposite side of Harry.

“I’m being sorted after the feast,” said Harry, interrupting Orion.

“Oh, well, good luck!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Harry was rather quiet throughout the feast, though it was still progress compared to the silence he had brought with him earlier, only mumbling responses to Orion and greeting a few people that talked to him.

Orion didn’t seem to mind Harry’s silence. He told him of everything that came to his mind: his place in Quidditch and his most memorable games, his parents and siblings and small details about them all, he told them of the others at the school, focusing on a certain Walburga Black, who Orion adored, he told Harry about his childhood and insignificant things like his favorite foods and color and how he couldn’t wait to go to Hogsmeade with him. Harry was listening, Orion knew he was; Harry’s expressions changed as Orion talked, his eyebrows occasionally furrowing or his lips pursing, minor details that would come as an obvious thing to anyone who paid attention. 

So they all sat. Most of them were used to Orion’s openness by now and didn’t mind. Harry picked at his food and kindly declined the food Orion would offer him when he came to the idea that he might come across as rude otherwise. Tom was sitting next to Harry as well, opposite of Orion, paying no mind to the surrounding conversations, cutting his food up before he ate it.

The feast ended after a while, everyone had been getting tired anyway, and Harry bid Orion a quiet goodbye. 

“I wonder what house he’ll end up in,” Orion thought out loud as they walked back to the common room. “He doesn’t really fit into anything, does he?”

Marcus Avery had started walking next to him. “Yeah, I get what you mean.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see, I suppose.”

Marcus mumbled a small agreement.

They soon found themselves in the dungeons, a change of feel from the previous warm halls. “What’s the password again, Tom?” Orion asked hopelessly as they neared the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Tom scoffed, then walked ahead of Orion, said the password, turned and did a small bow, then turned once more and walked inside.

Orion followed him, taking a change in path a few steps in. He fell to the couch, his hands going to the cushions and his eyes closing. “I’m just going to stay here forever,” he mumbled sleepily.

“You do that,” said Marcus, walking past him to sit down.

The Slytherin Common room was quite comfortable, despite the lingering cold it held. Everything was just nice. It was all so relaxing. Most of those who were first seeing the common room often feared they would dislike it after time passed, that the cold would get to them and they’d hate it. They never did. The feel of the space just didn’t amount to much with first impressions. 

Orion and Marcus talked for a while, though Orion came close to falling asleep quite a few times. They talked of insignificant things, simple things that didn’t matter. They were okay with that. Orion was just tired and Marcus bored.

Tom sat on his bed, book in hand. He was always very interested in everything. He liked to know things.

Everyone sat calmly until Harry walked in, taking small, shuffled steps in a fault of his tiredness. 

Harry, looking as out of place as ever, walked to Orion. “Made Slytherin,” he mumbled. Before Orion could congratulate him, Harry started again, “take me to the beds, please. ‘M tired.” 

Orion grinned, “of course, come on.” He stood up, then took Harry’s hand, leading him to the boys’ dormitories.

\------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is pretty short, as I said earlier it's really just an intro.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, thank you.


End file.
